Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a threat to electronic devices, in particular to semiconductor devices. It is known to perform ESD stress tests of electronic devices to characterize the behavior of the devices under ESD stress. ESD events typically occur in short time ranges between 1 ns and 1 μs. ESD stress tests must be carried out on the same timescale to provide realistic results.
It is known to use transmission line pulse (TLP) systems to apply defined stress pulses to a device under test. The document “ESD Association Standard Test Method for the Protection of Electrostatic Discharge Susceptible Items”, Electrostatic Discharge Association, 2008, ANSI/ESD STM5.5.1-2008 describes a method for pulse testing to evaluate a voltage current response of a component under test. This technique is known as transmission line pulse testing.
Certain electronic devices require that more than one pulse or signal is applied to various terminals of the device to fully characterize the behavior of this device. Testing a transistor may, for example, require to bias a gate of the transistor before applying a test pulse to the device.